Track belt and unit therefor



Apr., 17, 1923.

R. H. WHITE TRACK BELT AND UNIT THEREFOR Filed March l5 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Apr. 17, 1923. 1,452,317@

R. H. WHITE TRACK BELT AND UNIT THEREFOR Filed March l5 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented lApr. 17, l923.

ROLLIN H. WHITE, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS,

OHIO, SSIEGNOR T0 THE OLEVELAND TRACTOR COMPANY, F EUlCLID, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CK BELT AND UNIT THEREFOR.

Application led March 15, 1920. Serial No. 365,776.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that l, RoLLrN H. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland Heights, in the county of Cuyae hoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful, Improvement in rlrack Belts and Units Therefor, of which'the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

rlhis inventionrelates to track belts especially adapted for use in track laying tractors. The invention resides in the construction of the links or units for such track belts, and in the combination with such units le of means substantially as shown for operatively connecting them to form a track belt, all substantially as shown in the drawing and hereinafter described and definitely pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings, Fig. ll is a top plan view partly broken away of a track belt unit including the tubular pins for pivoting it to adjacent units; Fig. lll is a rear end view of said unit showing part of one of the pins and means for suitably connecting the pin to said unit; llig. lll is a side elevation of two connecting units, the right hand unit being shown in section in the plane indicated by broken line 3-3 lV is a sectional side elevation showing a modified form of one end of said unit; and ll ig. V is a perspective view of the sheet metal blank from which the unit is formed by suitably bending the same as hereinafter desc ibed.

lllach unit is formed ot' a single piece of sheet metal, preferably steel, which is cut to form a blank substantially as shown in lFig. V, and the various parts thereof are bent and connected as hereinafter described to form the track belt links or units shown in Figs. ll, ll and lll, that is to say. the blank when cut as shown, will have a. middle portion 12; an end portion 10; a shorter end portion a; three straps 16, 17, 18, which connect the middle portion 12 with the end portion 10,`said straps being located respectively at 'the two edges and in the middle of the blank; and two straps 1d, 15, which connect the middle portion 12 with the end portion 10,-these two straps being disposed respectively in alignment with the spaces between the straps 16, 17, 18, and being slightly narrower than said spaces. ln cutting out the metal between the straps on Fig. 1; Fig.,

16, 17, 18, four tongues 33, 34:, 35, 36, are formed and left attached to the member 10; and these tongues are bent into positions approxlmately at right angles to the-plane or the blank.- The longitudinally extended tongues 12b, 12, are punched from the middle part 12 of the blank and remain attached to the central part 12a thereoi, and these tongues are bent up out of the plane of the blank as shown, and preferably toward each other, into the U-shape shown in Fig. lll.

he short longitudinal tongues 33, 37, are pressed from the straps 14, and 15, respectively, but remain attached thereto, and these tongues are bent out of the plane 'of the blank, leavin holes 39 for the rollers hereinafter referred to.

rl`he blank is thjen bent transversely through the straps 16, 17, 18, and also through the straps 1d, 15, to form the flat annulus shown in Fig. lill. 'llhe end portion 10 is carried under the middle portion 12 by the bending into substantial Ushape of the tongues 16, 17, 18. 'llhe end portion 10a is also bent under the middle portion 12 by the bending into lll-shape or the two tongues 111, 15. The portion 10' is made to overlap and overlie the end portion 10, and is secured thereto by welding or other suitable means or methods.

llVhen the blank has been bent as stated,

the tongues 33, 3d, 35, 36, extend u ward from portion 10 and the upper ends ot these tongues contact with and are preferably secured to the middle portion 12 near the rear edge thereof, and they serve as struts which aid in supporting the track 12a likewise engage the U-shaped strap loops ot a similar unit when it is connected in the manner to be described with the unit which has been described in detail.

lln the so constructed unit two overlapping and connected members 10 and 10u forni the 4bottom or shoe of the track belt unit. The extreme front end of the portion 10 may be bent downward in any desired shape to form the ground en aging grouser 11. rlhe portion 12 forms tile top of the unit, and the central portion of this top 12a is adapted to serve as a rail' or track on which the wheels 30 run through which wheels the weight of the tractor is transferred to the track belt.

The straps 1t, 15, and the straps 16, 18, have now taken the term ot' lll-shaped' and they lll@ loops,-strap loops as they are termed in the claims,-and these are utilized to form eyes by means of which these units may be pivotally connected to form the track belt.

To connect two of these units together the strap loops 14, 15, of one link are inserted in the spaces between the narrower strap loops 16, 17, 18, of the adjacent unit, to form a transverse eye to receive the pivot pin. The pivot pin 40 is passed through the five loops which are so interlocked to form said eye. Preferably this pivot pin is a tubular member rolled up into cylindrical shape from one piece of sheet metal. When so formed tongues 41, 42, are cut from both edges of the rolled up blank and at one end of the pin; and these tongues, after the pin has been inserted in the loops, are spread apart until they come into substantial engagement with the top member 12 and the shoe 1() at the rear end of one of the pivoted together units. The rear end of the unit it will be understood, is that end which has the three strap loops 16, 17, 18. This pin therefore, can not turn in these loops.- It may and does turn, when the track belt is in use, inthe loops 14, 15, at the front end of each unit. In order to insure that there shall be no endwise movement of this tubular pivot crosswise of the links there are holes made through the bottom of the pin and in the bottom or shoe of the link. A bent spring 46 having a downturned end 47 is put into the tubular pin and the end 47 thereof allowed to pass down through the said holes.

A track belt made up of the described units is constructed for use with a double sprocket substantially as indicated bv dotted lines in Fig. II. The sprocket teeth go as stated down through the openings 13 in the top ,of

.the unit at each side of the track portion 12a; said openings being those produced by cuttin out the tongues 12b, 12, the sprocket teeth 1n the preferred construction engage with rollers 55 which are rotatably mounted in alignment with said openings 13 upon the U-shaped strap loops 14, 15, at the front end of the unit. In order to give each of these rollers a bearing oi`-suitable vcircumferential extent, the tongues 38 4and 37 are bent upward so as to form arcuate continuations of the strap loops. The rollers go through and operate in the holes 38aL which are produced by pressing out the tongues 38, 37. These rollers have to be split in order that they may be put into the position stated. When split an end thereof is passed through the hole 38, and then the roller is bent into cylindrical form around the front strap loops, as shown in Figs. I and III, and the ends of the roller strip may be welded together.

In the modification shown in Fig. IV, the front or strap loops 14, 15, are partly cut away so as to leave openings for these rollers 55, which rollers in that event will {it upon and turn upon the pins 40 instead of upon the loops 14, 15.

It is obvious that the number of strap loops at each end of a unit may be varied as desired, provided the strap loops at one end are aligned with the spaces between strap loops at the other end, and are adapted to operate as stated in said spaces.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A one piece pressed metal track belt unit having a substantially horizontal shoe member formed from the ends of the one piece of metal,which ends overlap and are connected together, and having a substantially horizontal top member in which are longitudinally extended openings for the pasage of sprocket teeth,the parts of said top between said longitudinal opening being formed with upwardly bent integral longitudinal flanges along both edges thereof,- said top and bottom members being connected at their front ends by integral U-shaped strap loops, and being connected at their vrear ends by integral U-shaped strap loops which are disposed in line with the openings between the strap loops at the other end of the unit.

2. A one piece pressed metal track belt unit having a substantially horizontal shoe member formed from the ends of the one piece of metal,-which ends overlap and are connected together,-and having a substantially horizontal top member in which are longitudinally extended openings for the passage of sprocket teeth,the parts of said top betwen said longitudinal openings being formed with upwardly bent integralv longitudinal flanges along both edges thereof,- said top and bottom members being connected at their front ends by integral Ushaped strap loops, and being connected at their rear ends by integral U-shaped strap loops which are disposed in line with the openings between the strap loops at the other end of the unit, said link being also Jformed with upwardly extended struts which are integral parts of the shoe portion and extend therefrom upward into engagement with the top portion.

3. The combination of two track belt units as defined by claim 1 arranged with the strap loops of one unit overlapping and going into the openings between the strap loops at the adi acent end of the other unit, a pivot pin extending transversely through the eye formed by the overlapping strap loops of the two units, and rollers embracing said pin in alignment with the longitudinal openings in the top members of the links on opposite sides of the central track portion thereof.

4. A sheet metal track belt, including a plurality of units, each unit comprising a top member and a bottom member spaced each side of the track portion.

5. A sheet metal track belt unit comprising a top member and a bottom member secured together and connected by loops at each end, the 'top member having longitudinally extending openings for the passage 10 of sprocket teeth and a track portion between the openings.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

ROLLIN H. WHITE. 

